Stanford University researcher used a computer algorithm to determined whether a neighborhood leaned to the left or right by looking at vehicles in 50 millions of images from Google Street View in 200 American cities. When sedans outnumbered pickup trucks, there was an 88 percent chance the city would vote Democratic. In areas with more pickup trucks, the odds switched to 82 percent in favor of Republicans, the researchers concluded.

British drivers will face extra checks when renting cars and vans to ensure they are not extremists in the wake of a string of deadly terror attacks using vehicles. Ministers are ordering the crackdown amid growing concern over how easily extremists are renting vehicles and using them to mow down pedestrians in attacks. It comes after 14 people were killed when terrorists ploughed into passersby in Barcelona and seaside town of Cambrils on Thursday. This year in the UK, vehicles have been at the centre of deadly attacks on Westminster, London Bridge and Finsbury Park. The incidents sparked suggestions van...

One person arrested and "a number of casualties" as a vehicle hits pedestrians in Finsbury Park, London, police say This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.

New Orleans Police said a man who was apparently acting as a good Samaritan on Saturday afternoon (April 8) was robbed at gunpoint in Algiers after he responded to someone who asked for help jump-starting their vehicle. Police said the 38-year-old male victim was flagged down by someone in the 3700 block of Gen. De Gaulle Drive who was asking for help jump-starting their car.

A Louisiana state trooper sustained minor injuries Saturday (Jan. 21) when a man driving erratically along Interstate 12 near Hammond slammed into the back of his police SUV. The driver, Bradley Burch of Florida, was suspected to be high on heroin at the time of the crash, police said. Burch, who also suffered minor injuries in the crash, was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail with DWI, reckless operation and driving with a suspended license, state police reported. Florida resident Kyle Nadler was traveling westbound on I-12 shortly after noon on Saturday when he witnessed a Dodge truck being driven...

Although its existence hasn’t been officially confirmed, General Motors has been spotted testing what appears to be the presidential limousine that will replace the “Beast” that protects President Obama. Spy photographers stalking GM’s proving grounds over the summer snapped a few shots of a camouflaged vehicle that looks like a modified version of the current Cadillac-branded state car. Related Image beast 2 Expand / Contract Its profile is nearly identical, but it features Cadillac’s latest style, including vertical LED headlights and a CT6-like grille with the company’s new wreathless crest in the center. Details about the Beast are kept secret...

Miami-Dade Police are investigating a shooting on the 21000 block of SW 120th Avenue in Southwest Miami-Dade. Officers discovered five people shot at the scene. According to officials, all five of the victims were in the parking lot of a grocery store, when a newer model silver vehicle began shooting. The vehicle is described as possibly a Chrysler 200 with dark tinted windows and the passenger side mirror missing.

Hackers took control of a car and crashed it into a ditch by remotely breaking into its systems from 10 miles away whilst sitting on their sofa. In the first such breach of its kind security experts cut out the engine and applied the brakes on the Jeep Cherokee, sending it into a spin. The US hackers said they used just a laptop and mobile phone to access the Jeep’s on-board systems via its wireless Internet connection. They claim that more than 470,000 cars made by Fiat Chrysler could be at risk of being attacked by similar means - including...

Apparently getting out of the jet-ski business opened up far greener pastures in the high-tech, 21st-century military vehicle market for Minnesota-based snowmobile/ATV/electric vehicle manufacturer Polaris(who also produce Victory and Indian big bikes through their motorcycle subsidiary). First they concocted a clever 2-man mini-jeep -the Polaris MV850- with computer-designed tires that require no air, able to operate even after sustaining damage from gunfire or shrapnel. They've also spun-out a line of small, lightweight military support/patrol vehicles loosely-based on their existing consumer products, including the MRZR in both 2-man and 4-man configurations. But NOW they're getting serious: aiming for a Pentagon light-vehicle...

Pennsylvania police officers no longer need a warrant to search a citizen’s vehicle, according to a recent state Supreme Court opinion. The high court’s opinion, released Tuesday, is being called a drastic change in citizens’ rights and police powers.

"A group of Madera residents say they caught a burglar in the act. And they made him pay for his crime. Madera Police responded to calls of a fight near North K St and 5th St around 5:20am Wednesday. When they arrived, officers found residents holding down the suspect, Jeremy Williams. MPD says Williams, 37, has a long list of arrests and convictions and is currently on AB109 for receiving stolen property. Williams is being charged with burglary, violation of probation and posession of drug paraphernalia."

"It seems like every winter there are news stories of people getting stranded for weeks in bad weather while driving through the many remote areas of our country....I have written many articles about how to prepare your home for a power outage or national emergency, but today I want to address how to be prepared for an emergency when traveling in your car... .....;

As the White House first announced in March, Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Mexico and Costa Rica later this week. The trip is billed as "an important opportunity to reinforce the deep cultural, familial, and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America." And at yesterday’s White House press conference, the president stated that he is "very much looking forward to taking the trip down to Mexico" this week. But the trip won’t exactly be cheap for taxpayers, assuming the costs mirror those incurred by the American taxpayers for President Obama's last trip to Mexico,...

In the early '80s, miles driven stayed below the previous peak for 39 months. Currently miles driven has been below the previous peak for 58 months - and still counting. Gasoline prices were up in September compared to September 2011. In September 2012, gasoline averaged of $3.91 per gallon according to the EIA. Last year, prices in September averaged $3.67 per gallon, so - just looking at gasoline prices - it is no surprise that miles driven decreased year-over-year in September. Just looking at gasoline prices suggest miles driven will be down again in October - especially with the very...